After enjoying its best year at the box office for home football games in more than a decade, Baylor fans have responded to the Bears' first bowl game since 1994 by purchasing more than 14,000 tickets through the school's athletic ticket office to the Bears' 2010 Texas Bowl game against the University of Illinois at Houston's Reliant Stadium.

Baylor (7-5) and Illinois (6-6) will square off for just the second time ever on Wednesday, Dec. 29, at 5:04 p.m. in a game that will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Originally contracted to take 12,000 tickets per the Big 12 Conference agreement with the Texas Bowl, Baylor exhausted its allotment and then some by selling some 14,195 tickets to its fans.

"We are absolutely thrilled and very proud of Baylor Nation for purchasing our Texas Bowl allotment of tickets and going well beyond," said Baylor Director of Athletics Ian McCaw. "This will send a wonderful message to our bowl and television partners, conference membership and the college athletics community regarding the support and commitment of Baylor fans.

"Several thousand tickets remain available for the Texas Bowl and I hope that these seats will be filled with fans wearing green and gold," he added.

Texas Bowl officials announced Monday that more than 60,000 tickets had been sold for the 2010 game. The Texas Bowl, which is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), Inc., a subsidiary of ESPN, held the fifth choice among non-BCS bowls in each conference. Baylor will be the designated home team for the game.

Tickets went on sale to the general public on November 1 following an exclusive pre-sale window for those who bought tickets to the 2009 Texas Bowl. Tickets, which start at $30, may be purchased online at TicketMaster.com, on the phone at 832-667-2390 or in person at the Reliant Stadium box office inside Budweiser Plaza.

Game tickets will also grant fans admittance to TexFest, a Texas-sized pregame party featuring a live performance by popular Texas country artist Roger Creager on the Bud Light Stage, as well as "Spirit Walks" when the teams arrive.

The Texas Bowl has been a tremendous success both on and off the field over its first four years. The bowl has generated an average of $25 million per year for the Houston economy. The bowl has over 25,000 season ticket holders and sold over 50,000 tickets before its teams were announced last year.

Over its four-year history, the Texas Bowl has donated over $300,000 and more than $5 million in promotional support and publicity to DePelchin Children's Center, the bowl's official charitable beneficiary.

Baylor fans who purchased tickets to the Texas Bowl through the Bears' ticket office and wanted to pick them up at will-call in Houston are encouraged to do so prior to game day at the following times and locations: